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Wisconsin’s attorney general has taken action in court to block Elon Musk from handing out $1 million checks to voters over the weekend before the state’s Supreme Court election.
Attorney General Josh Kaul asked the Dane County Circuit Court to issue an emergency injunction to stop the action at an event hosted by the world’s richest man, which Musk previously announced on his social media platform X.
“The Wisconsin Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that elections in Wisconsin are safe, secure, free, and fair,” Kaul wrote in a statement.
“We are aware of the offer recently posted by Elon Musk to award a million dollars to two people at an event in Wisconsin this weekend. Based on our understanding of applicable Wisconsin law, we intend to take legal action today to seek a court order to stop this from happening,” wrote Kaul.
It’s illegal in Wisconsin to pay voters to vote for a particular candidate in state elections, or even to pay residents to turn out to vote. The tech billionaire has become active in the state supporting a conservative candidate for the state Supreme Court.
Federal law also prohibits the payment of U.S. citizens in exchange for registering to vote or casting ballots.
Musk initially announced that two mega prizes — $1 million each — would be given to two voters casting ballots in the Supreme Court race. “I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote,” Musk wrote on X.
“This is super important,” he added.
He later deleted the post, saying that the money would instead go to signers of his petition targeting “activist” judges.
Earlier this week, Musk’s America PAC gave $1 million to a man from Green Bay, Wisconsin, who urged voters to cast their ballots for conservative Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel.
Schimel, a Waukesha County judge, has the endorsement of both Musk and Donald Trump. He faces the Democratic-backed Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford in the election taking place on April 1.
Kaul’s injunction request was randomly assigned to Crawford — though her spokesperson said she would recuse herself from the case, The Associated Press reported.
Musk has previously faced similar legal issues and controversy while courting conservative-leaning voters during the presidential election by offering $1 million payouts in a sweepstakes to those who agreed to sign a conservative petition.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ban Winkler accused Musk Friday of “blatantly illegal” behavior in the election, calling it a “chainsaw attack on democracy and the rule of law in Wisconsin and our nation,” Wikler said in a statement.
Musk has yet to respond.
